Remember Apple’s ‘I’m a Mac’ guy? He’s defected to Huawei

Justin Long – the face of Apple in the company’s ‘I’m a Mac’ adverts – has officially become Huawei’s latest brand spokesman.

One of Apple’s most iconic branding campaigns was the iconic ‘Get a Mac’ or ‘I’m a Mac’ series of television advertisements which starred John Kellogg Hodgman as PC and Justin Long as Mac.

In the advertisements, Hodgman and Long – in their respective roles – trade barbs over which desktop operating system is superior, running through gags such as Windows Vista’s tendency to freeze or other humourous quips. Take a look at the playlist below if you’re not immediately familiar:

Now, Long – who for four years represented the ‘face’ of the Mac – has joined one of Apple’s largest competitors – Huawei – has the Chinese brand begins its assault on the US.

Justin Long himself hasn’t appeared in an Apple advertisement since 2009, though that didn’t stop Huawei from approaching him to star in a new advertisement punting the Mate 9 – the latest handset from the company to make landfall in the US.

Jessica Grizzel, the Group Director of Blast Radius – the agency behind the campaign – cited that Long’s relationship with Apple was “key when we considered (him) as a possible partner for Huawei”.

The first advertisement to flight as part of the campaign features Long seated across from a Mate 9, listing his own qualifications to direct the product’s newest commercial.

“I have a ton of experience in tech… Have I ever directed anything? No. Do I have a director‘s outfit? A scarf, a hat and a vest? Yes”, Long says in the spot.

The advertisement rings off by Long addressing the Mate 9 by quipping that “You‘re smart, you‘re efficient, you can go two days without needing a charge. That is what I call impressive”, to which the phone runs a video of fireworks – indicating Long’s successful application.